1/3 the insurance: FDIC protections unchanged since 1980

The FDIC protects up to $100,000 in deposits, right? But did you know that this amount was set in 1980 and hasn't changed (in nominal terms) since?

http://www.cbbwi.com/fdic.htm

Lorna and I just looked this up, and in real terms, FDIC protections for deposits have declined in value by 2/3 since 1980, when the $100,000 insurance rate was set. Today's FDIC protections are worth just $30k in 1980 terms.

On a somewhat-related note: I was talking with an IndyMAC customer last week who said that if you had deposits exceeding the FDIC limit, and you have a loan through IndyMAC, they deduct the excess from your loan amount. Nice of them, if you're in that situation.

Little Picasaweb feed viewer

I made a simple scriptaculous+Picasaweb display widget a few months ago for Lorna's TED sketches:

http://herfstudios.com/TED/ted2008.html

If you want to look at the code, view source on that page or look here:
http://herfstudios.com/TED/js/galbum.js

Leaving Google...bye Picasa!

It was seven years ago that I zipped up the first build of the software that would become Picasa. A year later, we shipped Picasa 1.0...with the team sleeping on my floor and working on $14 card tables all over the apartment. Back then we had to test things like Printing, so there were printers and scanners and USB cables everywhere too. Tara overheard the cleaning lady call me "loquito" (which I'm told is an affectionate term for "crazy") and being amazed with how many cameras there were in one place.

After becoming part of Google a few years later, and seeing Picasa at a scale we never dreamed of back then (40 languages!), I've decided to push the reset button... and start over.

Today was my last day at Google...and it was a tough decision to make. Saying goodbye all at once is actually really hard. I'm very excited about what's been built recently and what's coming for the future. I believe in the team very much.

But I need a change, to get back to that elusive flow & creativity that makes new things. My best work at this time in my life probably isn't in being a manager, even if I love it. For now I expect I need to re-train my brain to make little things, useless things, silly things, and make a lot of them. This is the only way I know, really.

More importantly, Lorna and I are going to travel a lot, and take pictures a lot, and play with our puppy a lot.

And then, after the addiction to 500 emails a day and meetings wears off, I might relax enough to make something really interesting. I guess I'll keep you posted.

SIGGRAPH 08

I could be wrong about this, but the papers in the Advance Program for Siggraph 08 look considerably cooler than they've been recently.

Leave a comment if you'll be in LA in August.